Particle: Cosmic Debris (Steve Molitz Interview)

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Sure, that works for lots of life situations. But it has no significance when it comes to art – and it certainly has no room at the creative process table. So Particle – a band continuously equated with marathon, live rave sets and lyricless, electronic soundscapes – put out a debut album that would more or less live up to the massive preconceptions. But they threw an unexpected wrench in the works by assigning the production tasks to pop producer Tom Rothrock, toured the heavy trance album with metal-tinged guitarist, Buckethead, and decided this upcoming festival season would see far less Particle sunrises than years past. So yeah, they’ve got a good thing going. They’ve played Bonnaroo, Coachella and South By Southwest. They’ve been featured in Rolling Stone and made CNN. They even played with the B-52s. Quite a start for a band that formed in 2000 and never hit the studio till now. But it seems it’s just the beginning.

So when keyboardist, Steve Molitz, was recently invited to perform at the prestigious Moogfest in New York City, we spoke with him before rehearsal to catch up on the past and get an early glimpse of where Particle is headed in the future. As we expected, it appears nothings broken, but they aren’t exactly sitting idly by. Particle has had an amazing start, but this is just a launchpad.

Particle is over three years old – but rather than retrospective, Launchpad seems a starting point you intend to grow from.

We think the title of the album, Launchpad, is very fitting, because it does represent the starting point. And we tried to capture our beginnings so we could use that as sort of a launchpad to depart from. We had probably five albums worth of material at the time we recorded that. We had stuff that we felt were maybe better songs, or closer to our hearts, or more advanced in a way than the songs we ended up putting on the album, but we felt – because it took us three years to make the album – we felt like we didn’t want to leave those original songs, the first batch that really defined who we were and how we formed, we didn’t want to leave those songs behind. So we were kind of playing like a cat and mouse game. And the songs we chose are a really good representation of where we’ve been over the past three years, and some of the more forward-thinking production values show where we’re headed in the future. The songs we’re currently writing now sound really different than the ones on that record, but we had to get those out of our system. That’s how it is I guess with music, or any art for that matter. You have this concept in your mind and you gotta put it down, and document it and record it and move on from there. So we’re really happy we put those songs down and really pleased with the way the album came out.

Known primarily for late night festival shows, when you finally went into the studio, did you decide to go with producer Tom Rothrock because his background is so foreign from yours?

We wanted to work with a producer like [Rothrock], because we felt so passionately about these songs and had so many emotions invested in the music – having performed them hundreds of times live and having that much attachment – we thought it would be cool if we brought in a producer who has worked with people who we enjoy and respect, and someone with a fresh perceptive. To lend a voice and filter through our emotional process as an objective listener. We spoke to a bunch of different producers and we ended up with Tom Rothrock, because we liked his work with Beck, Coldplay, and Foo Fighters…and Beta Band was another big one, we really like their stuff. Eric [Gould], our bass player is a big Beta Band fan.

I remember the first day we met with [Tom]. There’s a track on the album, it’s only two and a half minutes long, but it’s probably my favorite track on the record – “7 Minutes til’ Darkness,” the second part of it. And the first time we played that for him, it’s like this over the top, in your face, rock anthem that’s larger than life. And the first time we played it for him, I remember, he’s such a different guy, he’s so mellow, he was like, “well, why don’t you guys try slowing that down, let’s try that as a reggae thing.” And we were like, “oh shit, what have we gotten ourselves into” (laughs). He was just coming into it from such a different place, it was really healthy for us. To have somebody come in and totally tear down the fourth wall and show you your own art from an outside perspective. So it was a great time working with him and I think he added a lot to the process.

In our approach to the studio, we tried to take all of the energy and intensity of the live show and find a good balance between that, and the abilities within the recording process. We tried to take advantage of the studio and be creative with mixing techniques, studio effects, overdubs, things that we just can’t do live. So we tried to capture the playing and the feel of the live experience, but format it into a more studio experience. So people listening with headphones would gain as much as people cranking it in their car or whatever.

By becoming synonymous with the late-night slot, Particle has generated a substantial buzz in the mainstream press, with articles in Rolling Stone, New York Times, even CNN. So at this point, are you happy to fill that role, or are you just excited to be riding the current wave of momentum it has created?

Well, that [late night thing] is sort of something that just happened. Sometimes you just go with what feels right at the moment, without judging the consequences, and there were a lot of really cool opportunities to play for people…that happened to be late at night (laughs). We weren’t thinking to ourselves, “oh, lets create this late night niche for ourselves.” We were thinking, “there’s this great, cerebral, ethereal realm that people enter when its that late.” You know, you’re almost closer to dreaming than you are awake when it gets that late, and for us, we like playing in that state as much as people like listening to it. And we were always attracted to the idea that there’s this core group of fans out there that are just totally insatiable and so dedicated to their passion for music, they’ll stay awake till sunrise dancing. So for us, we like pushing the limits, and that was just a way to connect with those people. In a way, it’s almost that Particle didn’t create the late-night and bring fans to us, it’s almost like the fans were there, and calling us to play for them. These opportunities have always been around. These late nights have always been there, people have always been doing them.

So we’ve been really happy playing the late nights, and I’ve been happy to fill that niche, but I’m also happy to fill a million other different roles. That’s just one thing that we do, and we have a blast doing it, but we’re definitely starting to do it less and be more selective, ‘cause we had no idea it was going to turn into this. I mean, there are literally times where we’ll be on a festival stage at like 3pm, and fans will come up to us and say, “oh, we had a bet with our friends that Particle doesn’t sleep,” or “we didn’t know if you guys came out during the day” (laughs). It’s been pushed to an extreme almost (laughs). So we’re kind of reeling in the line a little bit. But the late nights are just a lot of fun, ‘cause its such a different mentality, a different way of thinking, feeling, and playing. When we’re in those zones, we play totally different shows, the atmosphere is so free and loose.

By becoming so segmented, are you fearful of having a shelf-life, or Particle’s longevity?

I’m actually not. If our desire was to latch on to a style, and just try to ride that one wave for the course of its life, I would be totally fearful of it. But the thing about us that nobody can know, only time can reveal, is that we have so many other styles in our hearts and so many other desires, musically. Whether it’s different styles of music, or adding vocals or whatever it will be, there are a million things we want to do.

I actually don’t even listen to the music that we play. I don’t mean I don’t listen to Particle, I mean I don’t really even have anything like us in my CD cases at home. It’s just not what I listen to. So it’s kind of weird. I keep thinking to myself, “well, if on my free time I’m listening to rock and jazz and classical and hip-hop and all this other music, and I’m not even playing them, there is only time to grow and move into those different directions.” If I had the feeling that we were just going to end up stagnant and playing the same music every night I’d be really worried about it. But I know that we want to push forward and expand.

Sitting backstage at shows, we’ve said to ourselves, every time we play is another opportunity to grow and get better, and improve and broaden our horizons. One time when we were in Burlington, [Vermont], at the club that just closed recently – Higher Ground – we were backstage like two hours before the show and Eric was listening to Radiohead on his headphones. And he suggested we cover “The National Anthem.” So he played it for me and I was like “yeah, this is awesome, lets do it.” And the first time we performed it was the first time any of us had ever played it. And its been in heavy rotation ever since. So little things like that. We’re open to spontaneity and open to trying new songs and styles or whatever.

I don’t want Particle to run before we can walk. So there is only so much we can do, and you kind of have to let the music breathe and speak for itself. So we’re playing the kind of music that we’re playing right now, but we’re definitely evolving and open for change.

By eliminating the need for vocals, you have certainly created a unique opportunity to take your music in any direction you want. Your next album could be a collection of pensive, thematic instrumentals, really altering the Particle perception.

Oh totally. See that’s the thing. We have so many songs, enough songs that we could make what people would expect to be the second Particle album – more of the same, but bigger and better. What we kind of call “funktronic rock.” We could put something out like that, with some of our signature songs, but you know, I’m tempted to go in a completely different direction and just put out an album that nobody is gonna expect. There are so many musicians whose live career and recording career are so diverse. So there are no rules. What’s probably more likely is putting out some EPs or something that reach into different areas, or a live album that captures what we do live, and we can feel free to push forward in the studio.

It’s always a risk when you put out a record. Are you playing it safe or are you trying to break new ground? Are you giving the fans what they want to hear, or are you playing what you want to hear? So it’s a balancing act between all of those different variables.

What about licensing revenues? Going the Moby route and designing songs for contractual and commercial use?

Yeah, we’re totally into that. Now that the record is out we’re starting to get some phone calls about that from different mediums – commercials, video games, that sort of thing. We’re totally open to that, and being an all-instrumental band like we are right now, the music works so well for more cinematic themes. It’s interesting, because I actually do a lot of recording on my own too, and the past two or three pieces that I’ve recorded sound like something from a soundtrack. Not the kind of thing you would put on a Particle record – much more patient and cinematic. Some of the sounds are real-world sounds, whether its wind rustling or water splashing down by the docks, or traffic in the background, something like that. I’m really interested in incorporating real-life sounds [into music].

Well your keyboard work has been receiving some serious respect lately, being invited to perform at Moogfest is an obvious example. What’s your reaction to a marquee reading Rick Wakeman (Yes), Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), and Steve Molitz?

(laughing) Yeah, it kind of messes with your head a little! It’s just such an honor to even be considered to play alongside the people that basically invented this genre. For me, its really, really cool. It’s just so incredible to be a part of this. And it’s cool ‘cause its not just about the music and the musicians, and what people have accomplished, its more about celebrating the keyboard – and the Moog having been invented 50 years ago. I mean, its definitely my main keyboard, the source, the one I play. I’m just crazy about it. If I can think it, I can play it on that keyboard. It’s so expressive and imaginative. So for me, I’m kind of looking at this as an opportunity to share my personal interpretation of the Moog with all these other guys and hear theirs. So it’s a group of friends getting together to have a conversation about a common theme and everybody is sharing their opinion. But for me, I’m just excited to be here. I’m as much a spectator as I am a player. Just getting to see Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Bernie Worrell and [Eumir] Deodato in the same room is amazing.

I think I’m playing “2001” with Deodato so that should be fun. And it’s just so weird the way life works. I don’t know if you ever saw the Peter Sellers movie, Being There, but there’s a scene when Chauncy Gardner – Peter Seller’s character – walks outside of the house for the first time, and they play the Deodato version of “2001.” The funkier version, not the one from Space Odyssey. And that scene was always so inspiring to me in regards to breaking ground, and stepping out of your comfort zone. And it’s the perfect anthem. Anyone who hears that, there is something about those notes, and it’s the simplest melody in the world. When I was playing it the other day I was looking down at the keyboard going “I can’t believe one of the most memorable melodies in the world is this simple!” It’s just more proof that it’s not about how fast you can play, or how crazy your chops are, it’s just about finding the right music with the right emotion. But for me, its kind of fitting that the scene from Being There, where he takes his first steps out into a new and exciting world, out of his safety zone, that music is playing in the background – and tonight I’m playing the same thing in my own way with all these heavy cats and I’m going to be playing that song. So it’s this self-declared anthem of getting to play with these guys, so its pretty cool.

And you also played with Buckethead on the CD release tour. That seemed like it would be an odd pairing, but somehow it worked. I thought the Irving Plaza show [4.9.04] was great.

Oh man, that was! That first set was like the best of the tour, hands down. That was a great first set…I just felt so good after that.

[Ed. note: At this point, Bernie Worrell walks by the rehearsal area and Steve stops to talk for a minute]

This is funny actually talking about Buckethead, because he is really good friends with Bernie. And I was actually talking to Buckethead one of the first nights that he played with us, and I was telling him that Bernie Worrell is literally the first reason, like when you talk about your influences, he is literally the first reason that I’m playing keyboards. When I was growing up my dad used to play Talking Heads records all the time, and before I even played keyboards, all those melodies and all that stuff he did on like, Stop Making Sense, was just so impressionable. He’s always been one of my biggest heroes, and to be playing with him is absolutely mind-blowing. I mean, he innovated music as much as the Moog itself. He just took it and pushed it so far.

But back to the Buckethead thing, that was just totally the type of thing Particle loves doing. It was a unique concept with a little bit of risk involved. He’s not the average sit-in, or average opener. And it was a departure for him out of his scene, and a departure for us to play with him. And we just had so much fun, and got along so well. He’s just one of the nicest people in the world. And musically, I respect him so much. I’m a huge fan of his. I just think he’s amazing…and his presence as a performer, all that. So we’re definitely looking forward to doing more stuff like that in the future.

Actually, this is funny, like a week after the tour ended, I came home and looked on his website and I was hoping to see people like “oh, we went to see Buckethead and we never heard of Particle, and they were this great band, and we stayed for them and now we love them too!” But everyone was like, “fuck these guys, I hate this music, I stayed for thirty seconds and my head almost exploded. Why did Buckethead do this to us? It was torture!” (laughing) Just really hard on us. But it was funny, ‘cause at the end of the day, you gotta do what’s in your heart, and if people dig it, then great, and if not, then you move on.

Well like they say, even evoking a negative emotion is still creating an emotion.

Exactly, I’m with you on that. At the end of the day, I just want people to feel, and that’s something I’ve been saying since day one of Particle. Its true, the majority of the music we play is high energy, dance music. And its positive, and people can dance, celebrate and forget their worries and just let loose and have a good time. That’s absolutely true. But every now and then we’ll get into the [Pink] Floyd, Radiohead, darker territory, and that’s as much a part of reality as anything. There is negativity, there is stress, there is adversity, there is pain, and jealous and anger, so I don’t want to turn my back on those emotions either, they’re just as valid. Obviously we want to make people feel good so we play more of the uplifting stuff, but I’m open to exploring everything.

 

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